Meet Heimerdinger and Shaco, League of Legends champions

Today two new champions were revealed for the upcoming League of Legends, an MMO/RPG/strategy title from Riot Games. Let's meet Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor and Shaco, the Demon Jester.

Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor is a Defender class character. Seduced by the study of science, Heimerdinger left his homeland for the academies of Piltdown and the City of Progress. Gathering others of his kind (known as yordles), he built the famous Yordle Academy of Science & Progress. A most respected mind, Heimerdinger believes he holds the key to saving the world by ending the war on Valoran. He wants to prove his meddle both as a member of the League of Legends and a scientist.

Heimerdinger brings his powerful scientific creations to bear on the Fields of Justice. His feared shrink ray turns his enemies into diminutive threats, dramatically reducing their abilities. He carries land mines, which he places on the ground to be detonated by approaching foes. However, it is his artillery turrets that make Heimerdinger the most dangerous. They become more powerful the more he tinkers with them, bringing them to a point where they can even destroy nearby structures, including enemy turrets and nexuses.

Heimerdinger also supports his allies by setting loose his repair bots: automatons that both repair nearby turrets and heal friendly champions.

Shaco, the Demon Jester, is an Assassin character. He is also Valoran’s first fully-functioning homicidal comic; he jests until someone dies, and then he laughs. Hey Shaco, have we dated before? The figure that has come to be known as the Demon Jester is an enigma. No one still alive knows from whence he came. There are rumors, but one must not speak of them too loudly lest Shaco come to jest. It seems unimaginable that such a threatening figure would be allowed to remain at large. There are those that believe he is an assassin for hire, left to roam until he is needed. Others believe that Shaco is simply too clever, evading authorities at every turn. Still others believe that he is the demonic manifestation of humanity’s dark urges, and therefore cannot be stopped.

To jest with Shaco is to box with shadows. His mastery of the shadows is unparalleled, limited only by his magical reservoir. This allows him to deal devastating amounts of damage as he stabs his enemies in the back. Shaco can also confound his enemies by creating an illusion of himself that will do combat, only to violently explode when its time is up. The wicked daggers he carries are coated with the same ajunta poison gathered by the yordle Teemo, bringing pain, suffering, and death. To complete his ensemble, Shaco also plants psychotic animated Jack-in-the-Boxes on the field of battle, which pop out and shoot at nearby foes.